What is AppMap?

AppMap instruments software applications to capture detailed, real-time snapshots of code execution, data flow, and behavior every time the application runs. It operates without requiring any modifications to the existing codebase and integrates directly into code editors, providing developers with immediate access to runtime insights. By recording how APIs, functions, and services interact, AppMap offers a dynamic understanding of application architecture and performance.

This tool visualizes the captured runtime data through interactive diagrams like Sequence Diagrams, Dependency Maps, Flame Graphs, and Trace Views. AppMap significantly benefits AI-powered development tools, such as its integrated AI assistant Navie, as well as others like Copilot and Cursor, by providing them with the crucial runtime context often missing from static code analysis. This allows for more intelligent code suggestions, accelerated debugging processes, improved code quality, and a deeper understanding of application behavior, aiding tasks from onboarding and documentation to modernization and complex issue resolution.

Features

Runtime Code Analysis: Provides real-time insights into code execution and behavior.
Interactive Diagrams: Generates Sequence Diagrams, Dependency Maps, Flame Graphs, and Trace Views.
AI Context Enhancement: Feeds runtime data to AI tools like Navie, Copilot, and Cursor.
Navie AI Assistant: Offers AI-powered debugging, code explanation, and review based on runtime behavior.
Detailed Event Recording: Captures function calls, HTTP requests, SQL queries, security events, and more.
Code Editor Integration: Works as an extension within popular code editors.

Use Cases

Debugging complex code issues with runtime context.
Understanding unfamiliar or legacy codebases quickly.
Generating documentation based on actual application behavior.
Performing runtime-aware code reviews.
Making safer and more informed code changes.
Onboarding new developers to a project faster.
Identifying unnecessary dependencies or performance bottlenecks.
Reverse engineering application logic.

FAQs

What kind of information does AppMap record?

AppMap records function calls, return values, exceptions, HTTP requests and responses (including status codes, headers, parameters), SQL queries, database behavior, security and authentication events, background jobs, message handling, logging, serialization, and more during application runtime.
How does AppMap help AI tools?

AppMap provides AI tools with real-time runtime context – how the code actually behaves when executed – which static code analysis lacks. This allows AI tools like Navie, Copilot, and Cursor to offer smarter suggestions, answer deeper questions about code behavior, and assist more effectively in debugging and code modification.
What is Navie?

Navie is AppMap's integrated AI assistant designed specifically to understand and improve code based on the runtime behavior captured by AppMap. It helps debug issues, answer contextual questions about code, suggest safer code changes, and perform runtime-aware code reviews.
Can AppMap be used in CI/CD environments?

Yes, the Enterprise plan explicitly allows the use of AppMap tools in CI, UAT, staging, and testing environments.
Does AppMap require changes to my code?

No, AppMap instruments your application to capture data without requiring code changes.